Patagonia has been on my mind the last couple of days. Perhaps it was sparked by the email I received from a friend requesting travel tips or the article I read about an Indian tribe in Chile, the nomadic Kawesqar, facing extinction.

Images of the vast landscapes from the end of the world keep flashing before me. Below are some of the highlights of my ten-day Patagonia adventure in April 2007, traversing the deep south of Argentina and Chile.

The trip kicked off with a flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, reportedly the world's southernmost city. The landing at sunset was among the most jaw-dropping of my entire traveling life. Streaks of intensely white light flooded the crimson-red horizon through ominously dark clouds. To the south lay ice-dotted waters stretching all the way to Antarctica.

For two nights, I splurged on a lovely B&B stay at Hosteria Los Canelos, where the friendly owners really took care of me. The first night I arrived, I went to catch a performance at Kuar, a glass-encased bar-restaurant on the shores of the Beagle Channel, a quick taxi ride outside of town.

In Ushuaia, there's plenty to do and see - boat trips to penguin colonies and nearby estancias (rural farm estates), kayaking adventures, catamaran sails, horseback riding, and more. By the time I arrived, it was the season's end - the penguins had migrated and the estancias were shut down. I did join a fun 4x4 off-road trip through an agency called Canal Fun & Nature - highly recommended for the adrenaline-raising factor, the landscapes you'd never normally access and the excellent asado (barbecue) lunch on a scenic lake.

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